Several Koran burnings have been carried out in Sweden since last year, which has caused strong reactions and protests in the Muslim world. After the latest Koran burning in Stockholm on Wednesday, however, things have looked a little different, emphasizes Rouzbeh Parsi, head of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Institute for Foreign Policy.
– This time there are a great many countries in the Middle East who condemn this publicly – countries with which Sweden otherwise has good relations.
He believes that several actors will want to use the event to mark that they are standing up for their religion.
– Different politicians in the Middle East can use it for political purposes, as a way of trying to show their own beliefs.
More protests to come
He believes that we will see more protests at Swedish embassies, but that it is less likely that protesters will be allowed to enter embassies or consulates.
– If we look at the countries in general, they usually allow protests outside embassies, but they are generally very careful that the Vienna Convention is not violated in any way, he says.